Before I had a blog...(and before I was a quilting addict)

 

 I used to journal. Not just every day... but ALL THE TIME. These guys lived in my backpack/purse until each page was used up. Sometimes when I was feeling really thrifty, at the end of the last page I'd start going backwards on the backs of the pages. Seriously. 

These are just a few of my (fondest) high school memories. I can still remember what was going on in my life just by the look of the covers. One of them in this stack was actually from college. Some of my deepest prayers are in there. Deepest. Ever. I think I was a mystic that semester. Pretty much. 

Mystic. Sketch from that one college journal from the stack above. Sketched during one of our monthly 24 hour Eucharistic Adoration days. I miss those days. I really do. I"m really looking forward to our new apartment... which is just across the street from an old Catholic church. :)

While packing up everything we own I've found a lot of gems like these. Such as that Rubbermaid bin of my  Roma stuff. (lots and lots more journals in there... including the leather ones from Florence - sigh). I most certainly have a few more back at my mom and dad's house. That's ok... the ones I"m missing are from high school. It'd probably do my niece some good to read them if she finds them in my old room/her room). I was very innocent. Very. 

I had mad puffy paint skills in high school. This was made for my senior year when I didn't make the cheerleading squad (that's right... but I was never one of those cheerleaders - we were a very small school). My friend Stacey also didn't make the squad so we decided to be un-cheerleaders and cheer on the JV cheerleaders. :) It worked out in the end. 

Still freaking awesome at puffy paint in college. Yep. After 10:00pm Mass, after going for Pizza at Hounddogs Pizza for the People (yum), the day before valentine's day.... we made these. We hugged random people on campus the next day... while decked out in glittery shirts. :)

Finally, a really awesome love note... from this guy who I swore was hitting on Wally... maybe not. This was acquired while studying in Rome. I won't get too into the story... but there was a pre-spring break celebration.... And neil (a friend of a friend) somehow kept knocking into vespas (too drunk?). He gave one of the mirrors to me (yes there were two... that... fell off the vespa he fell into?) I'm not going to ask those questions but he signed it so sweetly. lol.

I hope everyone reading this has one object in their lives which is not thought of often... but when you come across it you completely laugh your head off. This mirror is it for me.

Ok so I lied... I did have a blog back then. But it was pretty boring and only read by a few people (who still read it... sadly now it's mostly the occasional post: blah blah blah I'm not pregnant). My best friend Schell and I had a blog together for our Italy trip too... unfortunately back then I didn't have a digital camera. lol.

HAHA! Stats from blogger.

I'm going to start with the most laugh worthy of it all. Looking at the "stats" tab on blogger tonight I noticed that someone had found my blog by searching "brownies not done" on google. LOL. I'm sure my blog didn't help them much. 

Next I noticed that at about noon today (yesterday) there was a HUGE surge of activity on my blog. ...nerd that I am, I then looked at which sites were leading people to my blog, and found that (wooohooo!) Rachael of Stitched In Color had chosen my bubble pillow as one of her nine fav's from this month's Bloggers Pillow Party. That's pretty awesome! I mean come one, I have made a quilt from a quilt along that Rachael hosted... that's pretty much bloggy stardom for me. :) And check out the other amazing pillows submitted this month. :) Maybe I'll be chosen as the winner this month? Probably not... but still. :)

Other random amusing (to me) facts? I have had three page views from Egypt. Cool! And second only to the USA, the next highest readership is from Germany (I think some German blogger posted a link... I haven't quite figured it out though). 

Also... I'm at 91 followers. I think when I get to 100 I'll do a giveaway. I have some cute but totally not my style quilt patterns from work ... and I'm sure I'll find some other fun things to include. That may take a while though... I don't usually accrue followers very quickly. 

Totally not related... the other night at the tea shop DH and I shop at, they gave us a sample package of Keemun Encore black tea (because they know I like black tea the most). We tried it with our new adjustable temperature hot pot (WAY COOL by the way), and the tea is so smooth and yummy. It's so yummy that I felt the need to write "love this!!!" on the package so I'd remember and buy more when we run out. Here to find out that it's like... $22/3 oz bag. OUCH! That's expensive! :) lol... maybe for a special occasion or something. It's yummy though. Stop by Adagio if you're in the Chicago area. We visit the one on the north side, ask for Nicki, she's pretty cool (and no help to my husband's impulsiveness when it comes to buying tea). 

Theology lesson of the day. Key terms: Beatification, Intercession.

Lastly - I know you all aren't Catholic... but do you know just how excited I am that Pope John Paul II is being beatified this weekend??? (beatification is one of the steps to being canonized a saint). JPII!!!! Oh my heart! Theology nerd that I am, I love him! Theology of the body, amazing! Patron of youth!!! My former neighbor (yep I lived in Rome for a few months, he lived just down the street)!!! We were buddies -- I mean he waved, smiled and gave a blessing every time I saw him (hehe). Ok I'll stop here. Say a prayer for the intercession of JPII for me right now ok? (intercession = asking him to pray for me/bring the prayer before God -- since he's up there in heaven). 

No one is going to read this post. lol. It's three AM and no, I'm not staying up to watch the wedding of those British people. I'm off to bed!

Have I ever mentioned...

That one day my husband and I want to retire to Roma?

Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere

Just now I have a very strong desire to go back. Now.

Did I mention that we met here?

Campo di Fiori

It looked a lot like that that night. College orientation. Magical.

At a restaurant just down this road we had our first date.

Via Della La Scala

Can I even imagine that it's true? I did dream of this very bridge (which I'd never seen, but happens to be in Roma) for many years in my later childhood / adolescence. Who knew I would walk across it daily for four months?

Who knew my pics were still available on webshots.com six years later?! lol.